Jurong Bird Park, Singapore Zoo, River Safari and Night Safari celebrate Chinese New Year with a line-up of festive activities.

Celebrate the Chinese New Year with an abundance of love and affection from animal friends like Sassy the sulphur-crested cockatoo who will be handing out lucky red packets at Jurong Bird Park; a stunning dragon dance at Night Safari; and Kai Kai and Jia Jia who have put their sincere wishes on exclusive panda collectibles at River Safari.

Getting up close with snakes
To celebrate the Year of the Snake, Jurong Bird Park and Singapore Zoo will set up snake-themed educational booths with show-and-tell sessions by conservation ambassadors, exhibitions about lives of snakes, and hand painting activities where children can get a snake painted on their hands! In addition, get closer views through special CNY exhibits of the dog-toothed cat snake and royal python at Jurong Bird Park, and the blood python and mangrove snake at Singapore Zoo. Guests of Singapore Zoo will also be able to take photographs with a scaly friend as a memento of their visit during the Year of the Snake.

Lion Dance and Night-time Dragon Dance
Soak up the Chinese New Year spirit with the high-octane Southern lion dance performances on high poles at the entrance plazas of both Jurong Bird Park and Singapore Zoo. Over at Night Safari, the dark night will be illuminated with the dance of a mystical dragon, a creature of ancient Chinese tales and a close relation to the snake.

Festive greetings from the animals
At Jurong Bird Park, the recently launched High Flyers Show will feature a special Chinese New Year twist. Guests will receive red packets delivered by air from Sassy the sulphur-crested cockatoo, and well- wishes of ‘Gong Xi Fa Cai’ from Amigo the yellow-naped Amazon.

Over at River Safari, be entertained by the antics of Kai Kai and Jia Jia, icons of peace and good fortune. Guests can also bring them home – in the form of cuddly plush toys. They can be purchased at the House of Kai Kai and Jia Jia at River Safari’s Giant Panda Forest, at $68 a pair, or $38 each if bought separately.

Festive decorations
The sensational and elaborate festive floral decorations around WRS parks – Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, River Safari, and Singapore Zoo – have over the years almost become an attraction on their own for returning guests. Bursts of colour set the perfect backdrops for photos with loved ones.

There will also be photo opportunities with mascots representing prosperity and good fortune several times daily during the festive period.

Delicacies and special delightsFrom 4-24 February:
Flamingo Lodge and Lakeview Ballroom at Jurong Bird Park, Ulu Ulu Safari Restaurant at Night Safari, and Forest Lodge at Singapore Zoo will be serving the Family Reunion Menu at $598+ for 10 diners by special reservations. Tuck into a sumptuous 8 course meal amidst the tranquil surroundings of WRS parks and relish dishes like Baby Abalone with “Ling Zhi” Mushrooms in Oyster Sauce, Dual Flavoured Fried Prawns and Prosperity Yu Sheng.

From 10-12 February:
Ah Meng Restaurant at Singapore Zoo, which pays homage to our orang utan, icon, the late Ah Meng, will be having a festive buffet promotion, offering international selections at $30 (Adult) and $22 (Child), from 11.30am to 5.30pm.

At River Safari Teahouse, special Chinese New Year set menus, featuring dishes such as XO sauce fried rice with preserved meat, will be offered from $68+ (2 persons) to $268+ (8 persons).

Yu Sheng:
Tantalise your taste buds with complementary flavours of sweet, sour and spicy with our Prosperity Yu Sheng. This ever popular must-have dish for Chinese New Year is available at Ah Meng Restaurant at Singapore Zoo, Ulu Ulu Safari Restaurant at Night Safari and River Safari Tea House for $8 (2 pax) to
$38 (10 pax), from 4-24 February.

F&B Reservation Details

Reservations can be made through Catering Sales and are subject to availability. For reservations and enquiries please call 6360 8560 or email event.sales@wrs.com.sg at least 3 days in advance.

Singapore, 2 January 2013 – The breeding programme at Jurong Bird Park has been such a success that at least 95% of all the birds in the new High Flyers Show are hatched and raised in the Park.

“We are very proud of our breeding successes and having no lack of ‘local’ talent in the new Show. We feel like proud parents when we see these birds which we have hand raised from young showcasing their abilities to our guests from all over the world, and in doing so, inculcate in them an appreciation of conservation and avian life,” said Mr Raja Segran, General Manager, Jurong Bird Park.

The first show in Jurong Bird Park began 30 years ago, and was helmed by birds like Big John and Sammy the cockatoos, Rod Stewart the Egyptian vulture and Harry the hornbill. At that time, 30% of the birds in the Show were home-grown, with the rest acquired via exchanges with other institutions. The establishment of the Breeding & Research Centre (BRC) six years after the first show greatly boosted the Park’s avian numbers. On average, more than 300 chicks annually have successfully hatched at the BRC over the past 24 years.

“Whenever possible, we leave the eggs to the parents to incubate and raise, but in certain instances where the parent had a history of breaking their own eggs, or are young parents, is when we step in and bring the eggs to the BRC for hand-rearing. Eventually, some of these birds are used in the Show.” continued Mr Raja Segran.

Three birds from the Show did not hatch in Bird Park, but one of them came to be part of the Show through an interesting twist of events. When the BRC underwent renovation in 2011, workers found three barn owls residing in the darkest corner of the roof of the BRC. They hatched under the BRC’s roof, and their parents took off during the construction period. Keepers took the barn owl chicks under their wing and cared for them until they were ready to fledge. One of the chicks is affectionately named Mystic, and it will show off its prowess as a silent hunter of the night as it swoops to bring down a prey. The other two birds which did not hatch in Bird Park are Amigo and Quincy, both yellow-naped Amazons which are renowned for their ability at mimicry.

Be sure to make a date with ‘local’ talent of the feathered variety at the High Flyers show which happens twice daily, at 11.00am and 3.00pm at the Pools Amphitheatre in Jurong Bird Park. Normal admission applies to Jurong Bird Park (Adults $20; Child $13), but there is no fee required to watch the High Flyers Show.

Mystic, the barn owl which became part of the High Flyers Show after it was found abandonedin the Breeding & Research Centre’s roofHigh Flyers Show’s finale, with more than 100 birds on stage.